Stab-killing mental health patient was preparing to live on her own before 'random attack' on strangers

The woman accused of stabbing a grandmother to death in an apparently random attack was preparing to move from her accommodation for adults with mental health issues into her own flat.

Nicola Edgington, 31, who allegedly attacked and killed Sally Hodkin with a butcher’s knife, was considered well enough by doctors and support workers to begin making plans to live more independently.

She had been living at Ambedkar House in Greenwich, South-East London, for two years after being released from a secure mental health unit in 2009.

Accused: Nicola Edgington, left, is accused of killing Sally Hodkin, right, in an apparently random attack in Bexleyheath. She is pictured when she was detained in 2006 and doctors believed she was ready to live alone

Killed: Accounts manager Sally Hodkin, pictured centre, was stabbed to death with a cleaver

Kerry Clark was injured in the apparently random attack

The planned move, which had been
discussed with her psychiatrist, would have been the first time she had
lived unsupported in the community since 2005.

But her mood is said to have changed
during the days before the horrific attack, which raises further
questions about the support she was receiving.

A neighbour said: ‘She would always be
fine, and say hello if you passed her in the street. But last Sunday
she was totally different. It was bizarre.’

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The next morning, Edgington allegedly
killed Mrs Hodkin, 59, a complete stranger, as she walked to work in
Bexleyheath. An earlier assault left a 23-year-old woman with serious
injuries.

Edgington’s mental problems were
considered so extreme that she was deemed unfit to appear in court
charged with murder and attempted murder. She has been detained in a
psychiatric hospital.

A disturbing picture has emerged about
the level of support Edgington received after leaving the secure
Bracton Centre in Dartford, Kent, where she was detained under the
Mental Health Act between 2006 and 2009.

She was placed in a one-bedroom
flat at Ambedkar House, run by the charity In Touch Support, which is
funded by Greenwich Council.

It provides accommodation for adults with
mental health problems and encourages them to live independently.

The house, which has three other
residents in separate self-contained flats, has no more security than a
normal block of flats, with an intercom entry system at the front door.

Hidden: Edgington is led from the rear of Greenwich Magistrates' Court after her appearance last week

Stabbed to death: Mrs Hodkin with her husband, Paul, pictured at a wedding together

Edgington was regularly visited by her
psychiatrist and social worker and would be expected to attend clinic
appointments. But the Ambedkar House office is open only between 9am
and 5pm, Monday to Friday, meaning at the time of the stabbings,
Edgington would not have seen her support worker for nearly three days.

The decision to house Edgington at the accommodation was made jointly by Greenwich Council and Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.

A spokeswoman for In Touch Support
confirmed Edgington had begun making plans to leave. She added: ‘She had
come to a point where minimum support was appropriate.’

A spokesman for the trust said: ‘We
are carrying out a full investigation, which will look at all of the
treatment Nicola received from the trust.’

Grieving: Members of Mrs Hodkin's family lay flowers at the scene where she was killed in Bexleyheath

Gathering evidence: Forensics officers surround the scene where Mrs Hodkin was fatally stabbed in south-east London